Tonight’s WWE Raw Pre-show opens up with fans piling into the O2 Arena in London. Josh Mathews, Booker T and Alex Riley are at WWE Headquarters in Stamford. Booker talks about Seth Rollins vs. Batista for later tonight. Riley hypes finding out the state of the WWE World Heavyweight Title. Mathews shows us a video package from last week about Daniel Bryan‘s injury.The panel talks about Bryan’s injury. Booker brings up how a lot of people don’t return the same. Mathews reminds us there is no timetable for Bryan’s return yet. We go to the arena and Renee Young is with RAW General Manager Brad Maddox. Brad’s not going to speak on the title so people will tune in to find out, he says. He says there will be a Beat The Clock Challenge to determine Bad News Barrett‘s challenger for Payback. We go back to the panel. Booker reveals that Evolution vs. The Shield will now be a No Holds Barred Elimination Match. We get a video for The Shield and Evolution. Both groups will be banned from ringside for the Rollins vs. Batista tonight. The panel talks more about Evolution and The Shield. We go to Network commercials.

The panel talks about Bray Wyatt vs. John Cena at Payback. We get replays from RAW and SmackDown. Cena vs. Luke Harper will take place later tonight. We go back to the arena with Renee Young. She’s trying to find out what’s happening with the WWE World Heavyweight Title. A limo pulls up but Cesaro and Paul Heyman get out. She was expecting The Authority. Heyman disses Renee. Cesaro also insults her and they walk off laughing. We go back to the panel. The panel talks about Sheamus vs. Cesaro round 2. Booker predicts Sheamus and Riley picks Cesaro. We go to more Network promos. We see Jerry Lawler, JBL and Michael Cole making their way out to ringside. Booker picks Mark Henry to win the Beat The Clock Challenge and Riley predicts Dolph Ziggler. We go back to the arena with Renee and she’s with Stephanie McMahon. Renee asks about the world title and Stephanie says we will just have to tune into RAW to find out. More hype from the panel and that’s it for the pre-show.

WWE Monday Night Raw

First In-Ring Segment:

We open Raw with Bray Wyatt in the ring singing with the crowd. He says that this moment right now is real and he wants to share it with the people. He asks the crowd to sing with him and they do. He says that at night we think of all our problems, but in our dreams we can fix anything. He then says we wake up and reality kicks in. He says that you realize you can’t fix everything and you just pretend that everything is okay but he says nothing is okay. He says people look down at him and then says that he stands here today as a revolutionary and that he has the whole world in his hands now. The crowd then sings. Bray then says that them singing is his Payback. He says that people get behind him because he offers hope where John Cena wants to watch everything die. He says that John Cena plays hero when everything around him burns. He says at Payback he will be the last man standing, but tonight Luke Harper will take out Cena. Cena then comes out and Harper and Rowan wait at the ramp. Cena comes from behind and AA’s Bray. Cena then escapes and stands tall.

We get a highlight package of last week events with Daniel Bryan, Kane, Brie Bella and Stephanie McMahon.

First Match: Cesaro w/Paul Heyman vs. Sheamus

We return with Paul Heyman and Cesaro in the ring. Heyman says that they are the stars and that the fans are wannabes. He says the people should worship the ground he stands on. He then lies on the ground and says that he is the Undertaker, except that he can sit up. He then says Cesaro will take out Sheamus tonight, and out comes Sheamus. Their match is next.

Cesaro and Sheamus lock up, with Sheamus being pushed into the corner. Cesaro slaps Sheamus, and Sheamus then goes nuts. Cesaro goes to the outside, and Sheamus follows. Cesaro catches Sheamus in the ring, but Sheamus fights back with a clothesline. Sheamus then puts Cesaro in the ropes and hits him with ten blows to the chest. Cesaro then rolls to the outside and talks strategy with Heyman again. Sheamus then gets caught and takes a flurry of uppercuts in the corner. Sheamus fights back with a running knee, and then hits the Battering Ram for a two count. Sheamus goes for a shoulder block, but misses and falls to the outside. Sheamus is down as we head to commercial break.

We return with Cesaro in control, hitting a bunch of uppercuts. Cesaro then puts Sheamus into a headlock. Sheamus however gets out, and tries to do his comeback sequence, but Cesaro halts it immediately. Cesaro then hits a superplex for a two count. Sheamus then catches Cesaro into the Irish Curse, but Sheamus can only get a two count out of it. Sheamus then hits a high knee and a rolling senton but again gets a two count. Cesaro then hits a uppercut to the back and then throws Sheamus into the turnbuckle. Sheamus fights back and goes up top. Sheamus goes for the Battering Ram from the top but is hit with an uppercut! Cesaro goes for the cover but only gets a two count.Cesaro lifts Sheamus up but Sheamus knocks him down. Sheamus then hits a powerslam for a two count. Heyman then goes on the apron and Sheamus is distracted. Cesaro then hits a German Suplex from behind into a bridge and Cesaro gets the three count.

Sheamus offers a handshake and Cesaro pretends to go in for it, but dodges it and walks away with Heyman.

Winner: Cesaro

Michael Cole mentions that at WWE Payback, The Shield will take on Evolution in a Six-Man Tag Team No Holds Barred Elimination Match. We get a recap video of the match between Roman Regins and Batista. They show us a tweet from Roman Regins showing us the scar he got on his eye during his match with Randy Orton on the WWE UK Tour.

Second Match: Beat the Clock Challenge Match
Big E vs. Ryback

Both men lock up, with Ryback hitting a shoulder block and going for a quick cover. Big E then hits a shoulder block of his own but Ryback gets up immediately and tries to contain Big E. Big E however keeps control with a shoulder thrust in the corner. Big E bounces off the ropes, but Ryback catches him with an elbow to the face. Ryback however is hit with a belly to belly, and is covered for a two count. Ryback gets an upper hand via a distraction, and then follows it up with a suplex for a two count. Ryback hits another shoulder block, with three and a half minutes passing on in this match. Ryback then hits a spinebuster but Big E kicks out at twoRyback then hits the Meat Hook, but only gets a two count. Big E however gets up and hits a clothesline of his own, and then takes out Axel. Big E then hits the Big Ending for the three count.

Winner: Big E~ 5:02

Third Match: R-Truth & Naomi vs. Fandango & Layla

Fandango and Layla come out for a mixed tag match until Summer Rae comes out. Summer kisses Fandango, and then goes after Layla. Layla is dragged out by Fandango, as Summer Rae stands tall in the ring.

Winner: No Contest

Bo Dallas will debut this Friday on SmackDown

Tomorrow night Mark Henry will take on Cesaro

Second In-Ring Segment:

We get Daniel Bryan’s music but it’s Stephanie coming out doing the YES pose. She says the fans should be chanting YES right now because Daniel Bryan is at home convalescing. She says she’s got some…well she’ll let someone else say it. We get a quick montage of Barrett saying he has BAD NEWS before we get a imitation from Stephanie.

She’s thinking about stripping Bryan of the title and awarding it to Kane. Or she could strip him of the title and award it to Bad News Barrett. How about to Batista? Seriously though, if anyone is deserving, it should be HHH. In all seriousness though, Bryan won’t be stripped of the title. Instead, Bryan has to show up next week on Raw and surrender the title because it’s best for business.

Fourth Match: Heath Slater w/The Union Jacks vs. Rusev w/Lana

Before the match Lana talks about how great Putin is and how the Soviet Union will take over England and America

Slater tries to hit a cross body, but Rusev catches him and throws him down. Rusev gets rid of the rest of the Union Jacks, and then rolls Slater into the ring. Slater fights back but Rusev throws Heath into the ground, and then locks in the Accolade. Heath has no choice but to tap.

Winner: Rusev

Shield still wants to know if that was Evolution’s best shot. Reigns is sporting a black eye from a match against Orton over the weekend. Rollins is ready for Batista tonight.

Both men lock up, with RVD going for quick roll ups that all get two counts. Del Rio however catches RVD with a kick to the head to gain control. RVD however hits a monkey flip, until being taken out again with a kick to the head. Del Rio goes for the cover but only gets a two count. RVD is then put into a headlock but Del Rio. RVD however gets out and begins his comeback. RVD hits a leg drop but only gets a two count. Del Rio then gets up and hits a backstabber for a two count. Del Rio calls for the cross armbreaker but RVD gets out. RVD then hits the Rolling Thunder, and then goes on top for the 5 star. RVD misses and is rolled up for a two count. Del Rio then hits a high kick, and then covers RVD but only gets a two count. Del Rio goes for the super kick but RVD ducks it and rolls Del Rio up for the three count.

Winner: Rob Van Dam~ 4:15

WWE NXT Take Over next Thursday on the WWE Network.

Cena is in the back being interviewd by Renee Young and says he’ll have the Usos in his corner again tonight. At Payback, he’ll have to face a crowd full of Bray Wyatt’s followers. The three of them start rhythmically beating on their chests and do the We Say Us bit.

We then go backstage with Evolution, where they talk about singling out the Shield. Orton says that maybe that will teach them their lesson, but Triple H says it can start tonight. He tells Batista to finish Rollins tonight, and he says he will, all by himself. We go to commercial break as that match is up next.

Sixth Match: Seth Rollins vs. Batista

Shield is banned from ringside, but HHH is guest ring announcer. His first announcement: Randy Orton is guest timekeeper. Rollins introduces Reigns and Ambrose as the special guest commentators to even things out. Batista hammers away to start but Rollins takes him into the corner for a quick stomping. Batista rams him into the apron as Ambrose is toying with JBL on commentary. Rollins escapes a powerslam and we take a break.

Back with Batista kicking Rollins out to the floor but holding his elbow in the corner. Evolution gets a bit too close to Rollins and Shield stands up to stop them. Back in and we hit the chinlock on Rollins before a hard elbow to the jaw gets two. Rollins fights back by shoving Batista off the ropes and nailing a running sleeper drop. A running dropkick puts Big Dave on the floor and there’s a nice suicide dive to take him down again.Orton teases getting involved, drawing Ambrose and Reigns off commentary. Rollins misses the springboard knee to the head and gets caught by the spinebuster. Dave charges into a boot though and the springboard knee gets a VERY close two. Seth goes up again but gets shoved off the top, triggering a brawl on the floor. Ambrose runs across the announcers’ tables to take out HHH but gets caught by Orton. Rollins comes over to go after HHH but gets caught by a right hand, drawing the DQ.

Batista gets speared post match but a HHH distraction saves him from the Triple Bomb.

Winner: Seth Rollins by DQ

Seventh Match: Paige vs. Alicia Fox

Alicia kicks her right in the face to start but gets kicked in the chest and headbutted for her efforts. Fox bails to the floor but catches Paige coming out and rams her into the barricade. Back in and Fox leans over Paige for a slap to the face before sending Paige into the corner. Paige gets caught with a backbreaker into the corner and a kick to the ribs, allowing Fox to grab a deep cover for the pin.

Fox freaks out again post match, but this time due to happiness. She puts Lawler’s crown on to celebrate this time.

Winner: Alicia Fox

Luke Harper calls Cena a mouse that will be eaten by a snake. Bray says the Usos are dominoes that will be knocked over.

Henry runs Ziggler over to start and suplexes him down as we’re already down to three minutes. Dolph falls to the floor but gets back in at eight. Ziggler hits what was supposed to be a Fameasser but looked more like a Rough Ryder for two.Henry throws him outside again but Ziggler comes back with a quick dropkick. 90 seconds left. Another dropkick puts Henry down and we’ve got less than a minute to go. Dolph heads up top but gets caught in a powerslam for two. He loads up the World’s Strongest Slam but takes too long, allowing Ziggler to hit the Zig Zag. Time runs out though.

Van Dam comes out and gets caught by a Bull Hammer from Barrett. Bad News sucks up to the London crowd and says there’s no way this Englishman is losing to a Yank. Rule Britannia plays Barrett out.

Winner: Time Limit Draw

Third In-Ring Segment:

Renee Young brings out Adam Rose for a chat as JBL goes on a huge rant about how much he hates bunnies. Rose wants to know where his cheeseburger is and we’ve got a man named Ethan in a cheeseburger shirt. Rose: “He’s got sesame seeds on his buns. We’re taking him to the doctor next week.” The fans cut off the interview to sing the song (JBL: “STOP IT LONDON! THAT BUNNY COULD HAVE FLEAS!”) before Renee asks why Rose has targeted Swagger and Colter. He just wants them to stop being “grumpy pantses.”

Rose has the bunny dance (JBL: “Euthanize the bunny right now.”) but here are Swagger and Colter to interrupt. Colter wants to know what Rose’s deal is and even asks Swagger to stand back. He calls Rose the thing that is bringing America down and he’ll bring England down too. Colter wants to have a fight with Rose but Jack gets in a cheap shot. He goes after some of the members of the party but Rose is back up for the save.

Hulk Hogan will be on Friday Night SmackDown.

Ninth Match: John Cena w/The Usos vs. Luke Harper w/The Wyatt Family

Bray and Rowan watch from the bottom of the ramp while The Usos are at ringside. The bell rings and Harper takes Cena to the corner and beats him down. Dueling chants for Cena start up. Harper keeps control until Cena nails a bulldog and a boot to the face for a two count. Cena takes Harper head first into the corner. Cena misses a clothesline in the corner and goes down. Harper with a big overhead slam for a two count. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Harper is in control. Harper with a nice suplex for a two count. Cena turns it around and gets booed as he signals for the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Harper blocks that and drop Cena on his shoulder for a two count. The crowd starts doing Adam Rose’s theme again. Harper goes for a big boot but ends up going over the top. Cena with the slam and then the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Harper blocks the Attitude Adjustment and slams Cena on his face for a two count. Harper nails a big hurricanrana and a dropkick. The crowd pops for Harper. Harper ends up sending Cena out into the barrier. Harper brings Cena back in and the fans are still doing Rose’s theme song. Cena turns things around with a tornado DDT for a two count. Fans start a “Fruity Pebbles” chant as Cena nails a hurricanrana. Harper drops Cena with a superkick for a close two count.

Harper beats Cena as he’s seated on the top. Harper pulls Cena off on his shoulders and drops him in a big neckbreaker. Another two count for Harper. Cena comes back out of nowhere with a big clothesline. Harper counters and rolls Cena up. Cena rolls through and applies the STF. Harper makes it to the rope and breaks the hold. The Usos end up stopping Rowan and Bray from interfering. Bray comes in the ring and hits Sister Abigail on both of The Usos. Cena sends Bray out of the ring. Harper with the sitdown powerbomb on Cena for a two count. Cena hit the AA on Harper. Rowan runs in and nails Cena for the disqualification.

After the bell, Rowan stomps away on Cena. Bray comes back in the ring and turns upside down in the corner. Cena fights off Rowan but Bray catches Cena with Sister Abigail. Rowan and Harper push Cena out of the ring and beat him back and forth up the ramp to the stage. Bray follows. Rowan with a big fall-away slam on the steel. They bring Cena to the stage and Bray grabs him. Bray looks out for a minute as the crowd gets revved up. Bray drops Cena with Sister Abigail to a big pop. Bray takes the mic and gets the crowd to sing along with him. Harper counts Cena down to 10 while Bray sings. RAW goes off the air with The Wyatts over Cena on the stage.

About Josh Lopez

Josh Lopez is the host of the Pro Wrestling Experience on Chicagolandsportsradio.com and is a graduate of the Illinois Center for Broadcasting. You can email him at joshlopezwwe94@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @JoshLopezCSR